Chapter 8: Dean

8

DEAN

T here is absolute silence as I stare at Jamie, lost for words. She’s stunningly beautiful and extremely pissed off. Fire burns in her striking gold eyes as she glares at me, cheeks pink with indignation.

My words may have been harsh, but my wolf is insistent. She can’t be allowed to enter the games. My wolf is immediately protective of her, yet strangely silent.

“You just said we could enter the games,” she points out through gritted teeth, annoyingly correct in her assertion.

“That was before—” I trail off when I see Wyatt’s eyes widen a fraction, warning me not to finish that sentence. She’d be the only female competitor. I can’t turn her away. There are other she-wolves visiting with their mates or siblings, but none have tried to enter.

None except the little spitfire who’s trying to stare a hole in my head as I gather my thoughts.

One of Jamie’s slim hands lifts to her hip. A sliver of her olive skin is just about visible between her dark top, now soaking wet and clinging to every delicious curve, and the waistband of her black trousers. The silky skin looks soft and smooth, tempting my fingers to brush along the delicate curve and inch the material higher to reveal more.

“Before what?” Jamie asks, tilting her head, her tone deceivingly quiet, but deadly.

She’s daring me to say what she knows is on the tip of my tongue. Her black hair hangs in loose ringlets around her tanned shoulders, and I’m strangely fascinated by the way each damp wave catches the fading light. A drop of water hangs from the end of one strand, and I have the inexplicable urge to reach out and catch it.

“Before…” I begin to speak, but then suddenly Callum’s voice is shouting inside my head.

CALLUM: Don’t say it. DON’T FUCKING SAY IT.

Suddenly I remember where I am, and who I’m talking to. To my right, one of my men frowns, and I can almost hear the cogs whirring in his brain as he assesses the situation.

She’s a rogue. She’s not going to win. Why does he not just toss her out?

My wolf does not like that idea one bit. There’s something about her… a familiarity that I can’t quite place. He wants to know more, and I’m more than a little intrigued myself. One look at Wyatt tells me that if she goes, he goes, which wouldn’t be fair to him. I’ve already taken a shine to the big man. I love a good underdog story and he’s already proven he’s got nerve.

I can’t wait to see how pissed off the rest of the entrants will be when he rocks up tonight.

“Before I knew you were the one who’s been stalking me for days.” I step closer to her, looming over her, bordering on intimidating, being a bit of a dick so I have an excuse to get near, and suck in a deep breath. That scent. My wolf is salivating as he lets it swirl around our mouth and imprint itself in our brain. I can practically taste her on my tongue.

Despite her slightly dishevelled appearance from taking a dip in the water, she’s clear eyed and articulate. This woman isn’t like any other rogue I’ve come across, where too long spent in animal form gives their aura a feral edge.

Testing her temperament, I lean and whisper close to her ear. “At least your brother came to speak with me personally, instead of hiding, very badly, I might add, in the trees, like a coward.”

Stepping back, I watch to see how she reacts. Eyes narrowed, she tries to incinerate me from behind thick, dark lashes, but that’s to be expected.

My comment is rude and unfair, and my wolf is unimpressed with my attempts to bait her. She did an impressive job of keeping herself concealed. At the launch, I’d go so far as to say she was excellent. I never caught her scent. Somehow, I could feel her close by. My wolf recognises her rather than her scent. That shouldn’t make sense, yet somehow, it just does.

Moving in a circle around her, just like I did with Wyatt, I enjoy how her heartbeat picks up as I inhale her heavenly smell again. Her reaction pleases my wolf and riles him up at the same time. Jamie’s wolf rises up inside her, not happy about being inspected so closely, and having me at her back, but Jamie keeps her under control. Which is pretty good for a rogue who’s not as used to dealing with dominance and hierarchy.

“It was hardly days.” She scoffs, trying to distract her animal from its discomfort. “And it was the other competitors I was studying.”

Not me. She doesn’t say those words, but that’s the point she’s making.

I huff, knowing that’s a lie. She can’t fool me. I could feel her eyes on me. She’s just either too proud, or too cunning to admit that.

My body reacts as I pass behind her, wanting to press my nose to her neck and draw more of her fragrance deep into my lungs. My wolf is intrigued, but silent.

The wind shifts, and her long, dark brown hair whips around. The temptation to catch a long strand as it flutters toward my face, just to touch and feel how soft it is, is overwhelming.

Never has a beauty captivated me like this. And yet still, the animal inside me says nothing.

He’s protective, not wanting her near the dangerous competition, but he doesn’t seem to share my fascination with this wild woman before me. Even more staggering, I’m more than a little disappointed, despite her being exactly the opposite of what I should want in every way.

Wyatt is tense, not liking how much attention I’m paying to his sister. It’s easy to tell who he left his pack to protect. The idea of her placing herself in danger here is… unsettling.

“Respectfully, we compete together, or we’ll leave together. It’s not safe out there for a lone rogue.”

Especially a female, one as beautiful as this. Wyatt doesn’t say it, but he doesn’t need to. And while the idea of her placing herself in danger here is uncomfortable, the thought of her being out there, alone and unprotected, is even worse.

“There are hundreds of other wolves wandering around your land already, what difference will having another two entrants make?” Jamie challenges, holding my gaze as I return to stand in front of her.

She’s being a brat, far pushier than her brother was with her demands to compete. Even though it should, her insolence doesn’t make me angry. I deserve it. In fact, it’s kind of alluring. It’s rare to meet someone from outside this pack who’ll argue with me. Even within my pack, there are only a handful, and none of them are as appealing as Jamie.

“Those people had the manners to come to the bridge and ask first.” I raise an eyebrow, tempted to laugh as she shoves down the flicker of annoyance that dances across her pretty features.

“We’re rogues, we have no manners.” Jamie deadpans, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest.

“And at least the others look like they’ll be able to stick to the pace.” Pointedly, I look her up and down, pretending that what I see doesn’t impress me.

My words are like a red rag to a bull.

Her plump lips thin in annoyance at my dickish answer, and she looks like she’s a heartbeat away from jabbing a finger in my direction and telling me where to go. My wolf melts, smitten with the feisty she-wolf and furious at me for purposefully needling her. And I must admit that antagonising her is the best fun I’ve had all week. I have a feeling this wasn’t quite what Blake meant by enjoying myself, but at least for once, I am.

“I can keep up, don’t you worry about me,” she spits out, her chin tipping up in defiance.

Something about the way her voice drops as she answers, almost like it’s a threat, has my pulse racing. Nobody speaks to me like that. I should hate it, but I fucking love it.

Callum shifts his weight, ready to intervene. He thinks I’m about to lose control, and maybe I am, but not in anger.

“You should be thanking us,” she continues. “If we’d have arrived at the bridge, the other contestants wouldn’t have wanted Wyatt to enter. There’d have been a fight. You’d have to send more wolves home… it would have been a mess.”

She’s right but damned if I’m going to admit that.

“So, you storm onto my property and look for forgiveness rather than permission?”

She nods, unashamed, if not a little unnerved that I’ve guessed her motive so easily.

“Knowing you’ll get an audience with me and that batting those pretty eyes at me might soften this alpha’s bark?”

Now she shakes her head. “I’ve no interest in softening anything of yours.” Jamie blushes, the alternative meaning of her words hanging in the air between us.

“Indeed,” I say with a smug smirk, and she scowls at me once more.

We stand here, staring at each other for what feels like an eternity. Both of us are waiting for something . My wolf sits back, admiring the view, but not pushing me to do anything other than stick close to her.

Callum scratches his head as he looks from me to Jamie and back again. He’s as confused as I am by what I’m doing here.

“I can’t tell if they’re going to fight or fuck,” one of my men mutters.

Wyatt shifts on his feet, the tension growing unbearable for those around us, watching the show down and waiting for my final verdict.

CALLUM: You said they could enter. You can’t go back on your word just because she’s hot.

There are plenty of female warriors in this pack. Callum knows it’s not that I think she’s weak. Quite the opposite. This woman is no pushover.

DEAN: The men here are behaving like animals already. I don’t want her on some deserted course or sleeping out under the stars with arrogant wolves who like to get their way and have no respect for rogues.

That’s partly true, but if I’m completely honest with myself, I really don’t want her to walk into that dining hall tonight and attract the attention of every eligible male for miles around. If they’re smart, they’ll be falling over themselves to get to a strong she-wolf like this.

Gritting my teeth, I shove down the jealousy burning inside me. I have no right to be possessive when my wolf isn’t claiming her or demanding I make her mine. And she’s not claiming me, not with the way she’s glaring at me right now.

I need to get a grip. I don’t want a mate. So, whatever this infatuation is, it’s a bad idea.

“Well?”

Jamie raises an eyebrow, daring me to tell her no again so she can fight with me some more, but I won’t. Callum’s right, there’s no way out of this now. I’ve already agreed to let them compete. My warriors heard my decision. And if there’s one thing I value, it’s integrity. I’m a man of my word.

“Fine,” I mutter, and a breathtaking smile splits Jamie's face, shaking me to my very core. She’s radiant as she claps her hand together and bounces on her toes with glee.

I need to get out of here before I say or do something stupid. I remind myself that if these rogues aren’t up to the challenge, they’ll be beaten in the qualifying round and sent packing. Then this alarmingly intriguing she-wolf will be out of my territory and out of my hair.

“All of the shared accommodation is assigned already, and it’s late.” I declare. “You’ll have to stay in the packhouse tonight until we can get something arranged for you, if you make it through to the next round.”

That’s a lie. There is more than enough accommodation, but Callum knows better than to contradict me in front of our new guests. I want them where I can keep an eye on them. They are rogues after all. I won’t be taking any chances. My pack, my rules.

“ When we get through,” she corrects, her gold eyes dancing with mischief and a grin on her face. “And the packhouse will be ideal, thank you.”

I frown, suspicious now that she’s suddenly being nice. What is she so happy about?

“Callum, will you escort our new guests to Lynn and ask her to get them settled on the first floor?” Callum blinks, not expecting me to hand them over to him, but I need to clear my head. “Excuse me, I need to get back to dinner.”

That’s the last place I want to be, and Callum knows it, but he says nothing.

“Come on,” Callum says to Jamie and Wyatt, waving a hand in the direction of the main house. He gives me a perplexed look when I make no move to follow along.

Jamie holds my gaze as she walks past, and I hear the telltale flutter of her heartbeat. She’s not nearly as unaffected as she pretends to be either.

My fingers wrap around her arm gently, and she stops, keeping her gaze forward. Her skin is soft and smooth, like a rose petal, and my thumb moves just a fraction, smoothing a few remaining goosebumps from her skin after her dip in the freezing river.

“These alphas aren’t going to play fair,” I warn her. “They’ll do anything to get ahead and they won’t take it easy on you, Jamie. Why not just let Wyatt compete?” I stare at the side of her gorgeous face, willing her to turn so I can see her expressive eyes, and the emotion flashing through them.

“Do any alphas play fair? None that I’ve met.” The bitterness in her voice tells me there’s a lot more to that story. “I’m used to being underestimated. That doesn’t mean I still won’t try.” She scoffs at the suggestion that she stand aside and let her brother win. There’ll be no deterring her.

“I can’t give you any favourable treatment. You know that, right?” The sight of her in dripping wet clothes, marching toward a packhouse full of people that won’t be happy to see her, draws out a protective urge in me. My wolf wants to take care of her, not throw her to the wolves.

She whips her sharp gaze toward me. “I didn’t ask for any.”

No drama. No bullshit. I can tell from the truth in her words that she really doesn’t want to be treated any differently, and I respect her for it. I release her arm reluctantly and step back.

“Okay, but you can’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s see what happens.”